Google AI pioneer warns against technology like ChatGPT leaves company.

AI pioneer Geoffrey Hinton leaves Google to spotlight risks associated with generative AI products like ChatGPT and Bard, expressing diminished optimism for AI’s future despite his role in developing neural network technology at the University of Toronto.

Following his departure from Google, The New York Times interviewed Hinton, outlining his illustrious career. Commencing his work on neural networks as a University of Edinburgh graduate in 1972, he served as a professor at Carnegie Mellon University in the 1980s. Subsequently, he relocated to Canada, steering clear of AI research funding linked to weaponry provided by the Pentagon in the United States.

In 2012, Hinton, along with his students Ilya Sutskever and Alex Krishevsky, created a neural network capable of identifying everyday objects through the analysis of numerous photos. Sutskever, subsequently appointed as OpenAI’s chief scientist, significantly contributed to ChatGPT’s development. Google acquired Hinton’s startup for $44 million, and he dedicated over a decade at Google honing AI technology.

The rapid incorporation of ChatGPT into Bing by Microsoft sparked a rivalry with Google that unsettled Hinton. During his tenure at Google, he avoided discussing the risks of unbridled AI. Hinton expresses concern about a relentless AI arms race among tech giants, fearing the inundation of the internet with AI-generated content, making it increasingly difficult for ordinary individuals to distinguish truth from falsehood.

Speaking to The Times, Hinton voiced optimism that technology companies would responsibly manage AI to avert it spiraling out of control. However, regulating the AI sector poses challenges due to potential covert development by companies. Hinton also shared in the interview that he took comfort in the belief that if he hadn’t created the technology, someone else would have. He paraphrased Robert Oppenheimer, who, when questioned about working on a perilous technology, said, “When you see something that is technically sweet, you go ahead and do it.